Annabeth's death? or the bravest ShadowKing
by kippetje.suus
Summary: "I knew we had all survived. I could know it, wasn't I the schadowking after all? How could I ever have been so wrong?" (Percabeth and Percico)
1. Prologue

**Nico **

And the last of them died by the gash of my blade. The telchine disappeared in a silver dust and I knew we had done it ! We had defeated Gaia's army and none of us had died. I could know it, wasn't I the Shadow-King after all ? I glanced at Percy, next to me. Yes, we were alive, all of us !

How could I ever have been so wrong ?

Because at the moment I turned around to look at the others behind me, I heard Percy cry next to me.

I started to run.

_**The first chapter is following soon, I let you guess first wat happened (it's already written, but I'm improving it first) Reviews please as this is the first time I write a story in English!**_


	2. Chapter 1 The one who couldn't be death

**Percy**

Someone was missing.

All of them were there, on their feet, looking at me and Nico. Bloody, but alive.

All of them except one.

I couldn't be true. I started to laugh : of course it couldn't. I saw it in his eyes just after he killed the last Telchine... I knew that Nico would feel it when when someone dies, and he didn't feel anything. So I just couldn't saw her, that's it !

And that's when I saw the blond hair my fingers know better than my own, spread on the ground.

My smile disappeared in a gasp. There she law, broken down, in a plash of blood.

I didn't even hear myself cry, starting to run.

Nico was faster than I. His hand were resting on her bloody chest the time I arrived. He looked at her, an expression of incomprehension crossing his face.

I crashed on the ground and took her head carefully on my knees. She didn't move, her eyes closed.

I heard Nico whisper : " No.. It isn't possible... How of Dad's Hell... "

I knew he had always had a weak for Annabeth, but this was different. " Nico ? "

" I don't understand... She isn't there... I always feel when people are dying... why not her ? Why ? "

A spark of Hope blaze up my heart. She wasn't dying ! But Nico saw it and gave me a desperate smile.

" No Percy she's gone, or will soon be. There's nothing we can do... "

No !

I Stood up and pulled Riptide out of my pocket. Dawn Gods ! I started to beat the rocky ground with me sword. No ! No ! No ! Harder and harder ! Great gods ! Riptide snapped in two pieces in an ultimate gash, just as my heart just did. However !

I stumbled back to Annabeth, fell down next to her, and began to cry.

The others formed a large circle around us three : Nico, I and... and.. my Wise Girl... I heard them whisper: "He broke Riptide?" "How can he have done it?" "It's a magical sword!" "It's because he's broken himself, than the sword loses his..." One look of mine was enough to shut their stupid mouths!

" Seaweed Brain ? "

It was just a whisper, but my heart started to beat again. I looked up. Her eyes were half opened. She tried to smile, but she couldn't.

" I love you, you know Percy... "

Of course I knew ! I tried to smile too, but I couldn´t neither, tears running still down my face.

" I Know, Wise Girl " I bent to kiss her gently. " I love you too, always "

Her lips were cold and didn't respond to my touch.

When I looked up, I saw her eyes were closed again.

She was gone !

" Not yet. " I stared up at Nico. What ? " She's still living, her heart is still beating, weak, but it is. "

I heard an other voice, Clarisse I guess. " Perhaps the Gods can save her, I'm sure they're already one their way. "

But we all knew it would be to late. Nothing could save her anymore. I had lost her in the final battle we won. She was gone.

And that's when I realized me one thing : if Nico said she wasn't there, at the road of deaths, it would mean that she wasn't going to die. Someone else would.

I don't exactly why, but I looked up at Nico and said eight words :

" You know how to save her, don't you ? "

_**Please reviews! Or is it really so bad? Next chapter coming soon...**_


	3. Chapter 2 (The last fight of Annabeht)

**_Here the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to review... (won't post the next one without knowing what you think about it ^^)_  
**

**Percy**

_I don't exactly why, but I looked up at Nico and said eight words : _

_" You know how to save her, don't you ? "_

The way he looked back, I saw he knew.

" Someone's to take her place isn't it, Nico ? I will ! "

I heard Nico gasp.

So it was true...

I stood up and grabbed his arm.

" Nico you're the Shadow-King, you can let me take her place. Do it !"

I was growling in my anger, desperate. I was convinced he would refuse, it didn't matter how much he liked Annabeth, he had already learned the lesson that's deaths are meant to be death. Bianca was the proof of that.

But he nodded : " I do... "

* * *

**Annabeth **_before_

_It's strange to see the others fight, without fighting yourself. I was watching my friends battle, being hurt, tripping, falling on the rocky ground, rolling away just in time, just surviving. Without knowing which I would speak again, with one would die. Not helping them was a torture. I was standing meters behind them, just watching, like it was all one big game. _

_My ankle was still hurting, that's why Percy let me promise to stay away from the fight, even if he knew I wouldn't speak to him during days for this. I stumbled a few steps forwards, almost passing trough my leg. I watched while Percy and Nico were teasing a Minotaur together. I observed Clarisse, Jason and Piper fight with a Cyclope, surrounded by Telchines. And I couldn't do anything. I pulled my sword, just to fell less hopeless. When I saw something reflecting in my blade. A monster, behind us. I turned around just a the Siren began to sing. Immediately I felt that I had to attack the other human beings with me. They were the bad-guys... But I closed my eyes and started to focus on Percy's face, drawing him in my head. I started to sing to, one of those stupid songs I had heard on the Argo II. _

_And I opened my eyes, and started to walk to the Siren. Why didn't I put up my cap? I don't know. Thing is that I had to concentrate so much to not fall in the Sirens song. But the moment she saw I wasn't enchanted she opened her wings and jumped in the sky, right on me. I just had time to raise my sword, before she was on me, throwing away my sword with one claw, and hitting me with the other. I felt it enter deeply in my body. Before I even understood what happened, I fell on the ground, bleeding. My body supplying to abandon, to just let go, to die..._

_The Siren continued to walk direction the others._

_But I couldn't give up. As in slow motion, my eyes half closed, I saw Percy and Nico fight, Riptide hitting Nico's arm, Nico falling on the ground, Percy lifting up his sword for the last gash. I jumped on my feet and pulled my knive out with the other hand. I didn't how I get the force, but I yelled at the Siren and insulted her. She turned to me again, and I heard her voice in my head: "You really want to die stupid halfblood."_

_As she jumped at me again, I throw my knife. As it just left my hand, I knew I hadn't aimed right. It was thrown far to height. I was death, so were the others. I had failed..._

_But the knife hit the Siren in her eye, and she disappeared in a silver dust. How?_

_Before blanked out, I just saw Athena's face in the sky. _

"_Thanks mum..." _

_And everything went black._

_The others turned to the right enemy without thinking. They didn't even remember they had fight each-other... _

_They wouldn't even know why I had died.. _

* * *

**Percy**

I looked at the others: "Go away. I don't want you to see this. Go!"

Nobody protested, they didn't risk. I wasn't Percy Jackson anymore, I was son of Poseidon, wild angry sea, and they all saw.

When the last of them disappeared of my sight, I turned back to Nico.

"You will take care of her, don't you, Nico?"

He smiled at me with his wet eyes and stepped forward to hug me. Then he put his hands on my chest, and began to speak. He didn't even ask if I was sure, because I was.

Slowly he whispered in an ancient forgotten language. I felt the energy flow out of me with every word.

This was it.

So.

Nico did a step backward, he looked whiter than he ever did, – I guess the incantation must have taken him a lot. I stumbled back to Annabeth and kneel next to her. I saw her wounds close at the same time the pain in my chest get worse.

I knew she would live. It didn't matter I wouldn't.

She opened her eyes: "Percy? What?"

I smiled at her: "I'm sorry Annabeth, but I couldn't let die my Wise Girl."

Of course she understood immediately, there she was daughter of Athena for. She didn't speak, and only lift herself up to take me in her arms.

I, I bent to kiss her, and she pressed me into her, crying.

Sure I wouldn't live more than a few minutes, I knew one thing: all those resting me were for her.

"Farewell Wise Girl"


	4. Chapter 3 ( An arrogant jelly-fish)

_**However can you waite for publishing the next part, when you just say you have ONE folower, and you had already written this one? No so. Enjoy, and pleace give reviews!**_

**Clarisse**

Put some stupidity, idiocy, loyalty and "daddy is a seaweedking" all together in a mixer. Let it whip, wish, shake and shuffle for about twenty minutes in ten liter coca cola ; before warming it up in the microwave to kill the last working braincells and there you have him: Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, the so called hero of Olympus and king of the toilets – from that last I have some bad memories, trust me –, and oh yeah: an arrogant jelly-fish – I just made up that one, daddy would like it –. Sooooooooo loyal he gave up to become a godness to stay with his sweet friends. Idiot!

But today, he managed to impress me, and that's new. I know that he and Annabeth were seen as the sweatiest couple of Camp Halfblood – and the rest of the world – by almost all of Olympus (except Athena, Annabeths mum, and Queen Hera) Guess that today some love was shuffled in the mix too.

But honestly, he really was great when he stood up and said to Nico he would take Annabeth's place. It was kind of cute also. But he was mostly strange looking when he asked us to leave. It's like seeing my dads eyes in Poseidon face, not fun at all, but impressive and very dangerous. No only a fool would have protested. So you see, I'm not stupid!

Suddenly the sky began to thunder and lighting stroke out of nothing. I only knew one person who could let happen such of Zeus' reaction: "Perce" Jackson. I wondered what stupid thing he said about Zeus before dying.

Dying... It's strange to know that the person you most disgust in world is about to die soon, or is already death, to save the one he loves. It's brave... One tear run down my face, and of course one of my half brothers saw it.

"Crying Clarisse?"

I gave him the angriest look I ever had back. But then I saw his face..

"You know, I never kind of liked that guy, sis, but it's sad to know he's gona die twice."

"Twice?"

"Do you really think Annabeth will be worth it? She's gona kill him for what he's doing. I'm great being the God of War's son, I knew she really loves that guy. It's sad"

That was the last thing each of us said. Nobody could speak, there were no funny things to say, there was no way to be happy that we've defeated Gaia's army, when you know what's happening behind the rocky wall in front of us. No way.

Finally, after about twenty minutes, we started to go back to Nico and... Annabeth. There was no Perseus Jackson anymore now.

When we passed the rocky wall, I saw Annabeth sitting on the ground, holding the death body of a boy in her arms. She was crying, sure I was.

I couldn't recognize the boy from this distance, but I knew who it was. So Perseus Jackson really was death.

And for the fist time I couldn't think about anything gross about him.

That's when I saw the other boy – Nico surely – a few meters away from Annabeth, kneeling to pick up his dark sword. But when the boy stood up, he turned out to be much longer than Nico. Why the hell was he carrying Nico's sword? And were was the owner of it?

And with the sword still in his hand, he kept walking slowly to Annabeth. She didn't seem to notice, resting her head on Percy's chest, or perhaps she didn't care. The moment he arrived next to Annabeth, he raised his sword high above his head, but she still didn't move.

In a tenth second, I understood that who or what was that boy, he wasn't one of the good guys. And I wasn't letting Percy's offer be for nothing.

"Shoot !" I screamed.


	5. Chapter 4 (When Nico broke his promise)

_**Yeah I know a short one (okay they all aren't really long, but I have to make the suspence during a bit longer not?) And sure I'm also waiting for the reviews, as I'm arriving at the end of the story. Only two or three chapters resting! But fist enjoy this one, and hope you're view about Nico doesn't change to much. Don't forget he's son of the God of Death and Darkness after all!**_

**Nico **_before_

_Watching, just watching..._

_I was watching as Percy stumbled back to Annabeth, his life energy flowing away through an invisible string, flowing to her. String only I could see..._

_I was watching as he knelt on the ground, and she opened her eyes and they held each-other in their arms..._

_I was watching as they kissed, trying to touch enough for the rest of her, that she would have to live without him. But they were running out of time..._

_I was watching as Percy got weaker and weaker, starting to cough blood..._

_I was watching as he gave her an ultimate last kiss and said: "Farewell Wise Girl"_

_And I realized what I had done, and I realized I had killed the boy I love. I fell on the ground, wishing I could turn events back, wishing Percy would live..._

_I was watching as they embraced for a last time and stayed still. Waiting for the inevitable... _

_And I remembered I had promised Percy to take care of her, but how could I? How would she ever trust me again, after I had killed the boy she loved, we loved? Probably thinking I wanted to take his place near to her. But who can take the place of the one you love?_

_I had murdered the one I love, even if he wished so. Never would I forgive myself..._

_But there was nothing I could do..._

_Nothing at all..._

_Nothing at all..._

_I lay on the ground dying just like Percy, _

_but only in my hart._

_But suddenly I realized there _was_... _

_Am I not the son of Hades after all? Am I not allowed to play with the energy of living?_

_And as I was watching Percy living the last seconds of his live, I started to whisper in the ancient language of death-ones..._

* * *

Soundless the invisible string of flowing energy between Percy and Annabeth snapped.

But they didn't know that...

Only Nico did.

_**Did you really think I wouldn't stop with a clifhanger this time? I always do, exept for the end of my story. Or perhaps execpt for the epilogue ^^**_


	6. Chapter 5 ( About Zeus' underwear)

_**And here the next part... Will there be an happy ending? (don't worry, it's not the last chapter, only the beginning of the end..)**_

**Percy**

Blond hair tickling in my noise. She was pressed into me while we were counting my last minutes, her face buried in my neck, her lips resting on my throat.

I would damn miss all this, miss feeling her near to me, miss hearing her voice, giggling when I said something stupid without meaning it, miss _everything... _

She would continue her life, have new adventures, fall in love again (with Nick perhaps), be happy. I... I would wait for her in Elysium... I was the one going to die. Is seventeen years old not much to young? But it didn't matter for me, it really didn't. It would keep me going for the time being death, that she wasn't.

As wise woman once said that Loyality is my final fate, and honestly I don't care about.

One minute... I could feel the weakness in whole my body...

Fifty seconds... I started to cough blood..

Forty seconds... Annabeth pressed me harder in my arms, tears running down her face, our faces...

Thirty seconds... All strength resting me disappeared...

Twenty... My view went slowly dark...

Ten... My mind stopped to work, I could only thing one thing: "Annabeth"

Zero... Nothing happened...

Zero... The clock counting down in my head stopped and then started again... but in the other direction.

I wasn't dying... I was living!

What of Zeus' underwear was happening?! I jumped out of Annabeths arms, full of strength again.

"Percy, what?"

The thunder growled in the sky, lighting stroke and I was sure I could read: "Shut up, nephew!" in it. Crap. Perhaps I shouldn't better not have thought that..

But I hadn't time to think about it. Annabeth was looking at me as if an angel just had descended of the sky ; and also especially anger.

I was sure she would kiss me again, or at last hug me, just like she did when I offered myself up to distract the Telchines in the Labyrinth a few years ago – before I blew up everything! Yeah, I really was sure about that...

She slapped me hard, really hard, and began to shout:

"What the HELL were you thinking, PerSEUS Jackson" – great, even no nickname anymore – "Taking my place? Die, while I was meant to be death?" – Wait, she wanted to die? – "How do you think I would FEEL knowing it? Living without you? You REALLY thought I would be worth it? I'm going to KILL you!" – I hoped she wasn't serious here – "You stupid..."

She cut suddenly out of speaking. Her face went white while she looked pass me, to were Nico was standing. Right?

But when I turned around, I saw he wasn't. He lay on the ground looking gray and sickly green, breathing difficultly.

"Nico!"

In three steps I was next to him and pulled him up in my arms. He tried to smile at me, but it failed woefully.

"What have you done?"

He closed his eyes in a gasp of pain, and then opened them again.

"I couldn't let you die, Seaweed Brain..." Why was he using my nickname?

I tried to protest, but I couldn't. I began to understand slowly...

"You could have had Annabeth! I know you like her!" – I did, right? – "That's why I asked you to take care of her..." My voice fade away...

Nick started to cough blood, and I tried to support him as well as I could.

"I never liked Annabeth, Perce, not that way..." He paused to inhale and then said the words I feared: "I love you Percy, I always have..."

Crap!

And he lifted himself just enough up to kiss my speechless mouth. And looking in his dark eyes full of pain, I could only do one thing: kissing him gently back. Even if I didn't love him, he deserved that.

And his eyes blanked out

Nico Di'Angello was death.

He died for me, for Annabeth, for us.

Together we held him in our arms and cried.

* * *

**Annabeth**

Nick was death... I guess he's now with his father and mother and sister, happy I hope.

My dear sweet Nico. I still remember that first time I saw him: that little boy with his crazy eyes we found with his sister. We didn't know he was Hades' son at the time. Fan of his MicroMagyk game, without knowing that all those gods weren't only a game. Ten years old. He remembered me myself, when I discovered I was an halfblood, even if I was only five. Yeah, I never could see him different than that first time.

Most People say that children of Hades aren't brave, but only sneaky. Both Nico and Bianca proofed they were wrong, so wrong. They are the bravest of all!

But just like Seaweed Brain, I always thought Nico had an crush on me, because he was always kind to me and angry to Percy. I thought he was jealous, but he wasn't. Now I understand why he sometimes suddenly could change mind and save Percy, before closing up again. He just couldn't handle it to know he loved someone who would never love him back.

I saw Percy kiss him back, but I'm not angry, because I know why. I would have done the same.

We had lost our friend, but even when I was crying. I could mostly think about one thing: Percy still lived. I had lost Nick, and would miss him terribly, but I still had my Seaweed Brain, so things were really less bad.

I hated me for that...

And I cried for the one who had lived, for the one who had died.

* * *

After about twenty minutes, Percy untangled himself from her lap and stood up to pick up Nico's sword, lying a few meters behind them... If Annabeth had known what would happen next, I she had never let him go...

_**Suppose you already know you readers... ^^**_


	7. Chapter 6 (I'm not a vulgar pig!)

_**Okay, I'm I guess to Impatient, but I really would appreciate if you leave some reviews. It's lot of work to write, and easier to read, not? But here I am again. Enjoy**_

**Annabeth**

After about twenty minutes – who cares? – Percy untangled himself from my lap and stood up to pick up Nico's sword, stranded a few meters behind us. I... I pulled out my knife, the one I always cared with me, the one which had killed the Siren, and which was in my boot again (guess Percy had done that...). I held it in my hand, and knew it would be for the last time. It would stay with Nico, this was my gift to him. He would have it in Elysium.

I heard Percy come back and stop next to me.

He raised the sword height above his head to have enough force to plant it in the ground, when I suddenly heard someone scream: "Shoot!"

It couldn't be true...

* * *

**Clarisse**

The boy didn't hear me scream, he just left up Nico's sword a bit higher, so he could gash harder on Annabeth. He didn't saw the arrow one of Appolo's kind shoot.

The silver arrow cleave trough the sky, and knew it would be in time.

We had saved Annabeth.

Great.

* * *

**Annabeth**

"Shoot!" Oh Gods...

Three things popped up in my head in one hundreds second:

-They were shooting on Percy, don't ask me why.

-They were not going to miss

-Percy hadn't heard anything

And four: I was going to lose him again. And I really didn't know how to prevent that.

But then, my body started moving on itself. With my knife, I immediately hack in Percy's knee hole.

In a gasp of pine he fell though his leg. The arrow only touched his hair.

"What the hell, Annabeth!" He cried, gripping his knee. But I jumped on my feet and stood for Percy, looking at the ones who had shooted.

"What are you doing, Clarisse? Are you crazy?" I shouted.

* * *

**Percy**

Okay, I guess I'm now supposed to tell you all, readers of drama, of my adventure, who're still thinking it's just a _story – _Keep on thinking that, it's better for you, and frustrating for me. – But honestly, I'm not really into drama-action telling anymore. Can't you just allow me a break please? No?... great.

Here I am then, enjoy!

Let's say that to conclude, lot of things happened (oh, you want the details, just read the pages before, please):

-First, my girlfriend almost cut off my leg, and I can still barely walk. Guess we really are a couple now, limping sweetly together.

-Then, Clarisse had taken my for an enemy, and shoot me like a vulgar wild pig – think she really need glasses! –

-After that, Annabeth nearly killed Clarisse, and she – Clarisse, not Annabeth – only survived because Jason and Leo and Piper and Frank jumped on my Wise Girl to stop her, and it only _just_ worked.

-And Athena and Ares had began to fight. I'm suddenly was her "Sweet son-in-law" and also "the bravest boyfriend my daughter could ever have." When did she ever changed mind on me? Only weeks ago she warned me that I could better never try to _really_ be a couple with Annabeth (that was when we just had escaped from Tartarus and she realized that I had slept alone with her daughter for a few weeks...) Athena now thinks that Ares had given Clarisse the idea of shooting me, and so tried to kill me. Great!

Next war of gods coming soon, guys...

-It was also Athena who had managed to control Annabeth body and had cut off the muscles of my leg so I would fall – perhaps she finally doesn't like me so much after all – It's really awkward, what if she can do that whenever she wants? She would be able to see trough Annabeth's eyes... and let say that there are a few moments you spent with your girlfriend, you prefer her mum can't see. Guess you all understand that...

-And then, Clarisse still didn't came to me to apologize, but that's perhaps because she's still unconscious...

But this all didn't matter, because Nico was death. And even if I never loved him the way he did, he was one of my best friends. And he gave up his live for me, for both me and Annabeth.

It sucks...

* * *

**Epilogue**

The greatest fire in the history of Camp Halfblood was made for Nico Di'Angello, hero of Olympus, Son of Hades.

Both Percy and Annabeth were sitting next to it, looking the flames licking on his body.

They were holding hands, but didn't move, watching the fire blow up, listening the wood crackle.

They stayed there until all other campers had left, until the fire had died out and the night had fallen long time ago. Still looking at the ash of Nico, their hero. They weren't crying, but it was if they were, they both knew so well that they wouldn't be there together tasting each-others warmth, each-other love, without him.

But they didn't see the white silhouette with black-hair standing behind them, his hand on Percy's crown, smiling. His bent to kiss Percy's head, but Percy didn't notice, neither did they hear the silhouette speak out slowly:

"Don't worry Percy, I promised you to look after her and I will. I'll take care of you both."

And for the first time in thousands of years, a statue of a son of Hades had been made in Olympus, the bravest of all: Shadow-King Nico.

_**Okay this is really the end, at least for the moment, perhaps I'm going to write an spin-off of this fanfiction - no I do not own Percy Jackson -, but that all depends of you! **_


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